Indian Railways has temporarily replaced the country’s sixth Vande Bharat Express train with Tejas rake. The move comes following the poor occupancy of the passengers on this route. The semi-high speed train runs between Nagpur and Bilaspur.
Speaking to FinancialExpress.com, a senior official from South East Central Railway (SECR) said, “This arrangement will continue temporarily till receipt of rake of Secunderabad – Tirupati Vande Bharat Express train.”
Composition of Tejas rake:-
This Tejas rake will have 11 coaches including 2 executive class coaches, 7 chair car coaches, and two power cars.
The railways have also decided to return the full fare of the commuters who do not wish to use this alternative arrangement. “Passengers of Bilaspur – Nagpur Vande Bharat Express train number 20825/20826 who do not wish to use this alternative arrangement of Tejas rake can get their full fare refunded without any cancellation charges,” it said.
However, the passengers of Bilaspur – Nagpur Vande Bharat Express who travel in Tejas rake will be refunded the fare difference of the respective class within 48 hours of completion of journey from destination station on the basis of certificate issued by TTE or Train Manager. Additionally, the arrangements have also been made for its refund at the station.
Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express
The Nagpur-Bilaspur Vande Bharat Express was flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 11, 2022. It covers a distance of 413 km in 5 hours and 30 minutes at an average speed of 74.90 kmph. The train operates six days a week except Saturday. During its journey between the two cities, the train halts at four stations. These are – Raipur, Durg, Rajnandgaon, and Gondia. The train leaves Bilaspur at 06:45 hrs and arrives at Nagpur at 12:15 hrs. After a brief pause, the train again leaves for Bilaspur at 14:05 hrs and reaches the destination at 19:35 hrs the same day.